(and an Intro to the Theory that is a More Accurate Representation of How to Teach)

If you’re in education or have spent any amount of time in higher education classes, then you’ve no doubt heard of learning styles. Basically, it groups common ways people learn into specific ways of teaching. Everyone’s brain is a little different.

Learning styles are thought to be a way of presenting material that is tailored to how an individual will learn best; whether it be visually, verbal, aural, physical, social, etc.

In fact this school of thought is so predominant that it’s taught to almost all teachers and is applied in most curriculums at some point throughout the year.

However, what if learning styles aren’t everything they’re cracked up to be? What if, in fact, this theory was found to be mostly a myth?

What’s the problem with learning styles?

You may already be balking at the thought that everything that was taught about learning styles could possibly be wrong. But that’s exactly what the case may be. We turn to cognitive psychologist, Dr. Josh Cuevas, Ph.D of Educational Psychology at the University of North George for some answers and much needed research.

“Five years ago a team of highly respected cognitive psychologists (Pashler, McDaniel, Rohrer, & Bjork, 2009) published what should have been a bombshell in a rational world. They identified the type of evidence necessary to confirm the learning styles hypothesis and then went about searching for studies that could provide that sort of evidence, ultimately finding none. None.”

​He later continues that “What Pashler et al. (2009) found was that there was virtually no research at all to support the existence of learning styles or their impact on student learning. A handful of other researchers have recently examined the literature and have come to similar conclusions.” (source).

Why learning styles do not work ​

One of the main reasons is simple: input overload. Our brains have a certain encoding process. Studies have long determined, with high amounts of certainty, that our brains have two hemispheres, the left which is responsible for language functions and the right that is mostly used for spatial reasoning and visuospatial processing. And that is exactly the part of our cognition where the myth of learning styles lies.

When you tailor a lesson or even a tutoring session to a student who is thought to learn by language better than auditory stimulation, they can get overloaded. Our synapses can only hold so much information. The brain is easily inundated with too much information in one hemisphere and therefore “dumps” important information into temporary or even unnecessary compartments of memory. The area that stores that particular type of input will overflow before it can convert it into long-term memory. Therefore, students retain far less information than they would if the lesson was balanced.

That means no matter what way a person learns best, if any one given area of the brain is overstimulated, information is lost. Even if someone thrives on language, when they’re bombarded with words and powerpoints with even more words as text, their language conduits are overloaded.

As Dr. Cuevas states, “Think about what it would be like if your spouse were to talk to you about dinner while two kids explained their encounter with the neighbor’s puppy as you’re trying to read this. Not so good for processing.”

What is Dual Coding, and Why Is It So Important?

​When you can access both hemispheres at the same time while learning there is no overload. It’s a shared experience in the brain.

When we can activate both the right (artsy) hemisphere of the brain and the left (logical) side of the brain at the same time, the two hemispheres communicate across the corpus callosum.

Further insight from Dr. Cuevas states, “These results, with all participants performing better in the visual condition and worse in the auditory condition, are exactly what dual coding does predict. When the participants were provided with stimuli that required them to use imagery and activate the visuo-spatial areas of the right cerebral hemisphere, in addition to using the left, they remembered more of what they were exposed to.

The pictures they created in their heads to go along with the word helped them to remember more information than those who just focused on the words and the sound of them.”

In essence, Dual Coding Theory tells us that graphic input and linguistic input are stored in two completely different areas of the brain. The two sets of information are processed there in short term memory. However, we can increase the chances of that information being retained (converted to long-term memory) by building connections between the two.

When we integrate images and text (like in a visual note taking strategy), we help students build a stronger understanding of each concept AND a stronger understanding of the relationships between the terms and ideas!

Click the image to watch my quick video on Dual Coding Theory

Visual Triggers: Examples of Graphic Input Combined with Text

When I create visual analogies for a doodle note lesson, the goal is to help students understand and retain concepts. I call these "visual memory triggers," because they help students to recall and differentiate between ideas.

​The doodle note strategy allows students to interact with their lesson notes using both hemispheres of their brains. Kids can color, draw, doodle, highlight, and embellish the page to get the most of the visual input and interact through embedded student tasks.

To shop for printable pre-made math doodle notes like the ones pictured. click the image.

For the commutative property, I teach students to remember the word "commute" and place one letter per window of the bus. They remember that was the one for the property that moves variables "back and forth."

For surface area vs. volume, I use a paintbrush and a pool. Students remember that the term "surface area" can be split into two words - one for the handle of the paintbrush and one for the bristles. They keep it straight from volume by knowing that was the one that covers the outside of the shape like painting.

For a three-layer reading strategy, the visual analogy is a cake with layers. Students fill in what to do on each re-read of the text, and then they remember that this particular method requires reading in "layers."

There are so many ways to teach and so many ways to learn. And there is no way to know how to teach students across the board. No one thought, construct, or theory should be a defining factor. After learning more and more about the research behind cross-lateral exercises for the brain, I've become convinced that our students need to be activating the right hemisphere of the brain in math class. The proven benefits of communication between the two hemispheres of the brain include focus, learning, memory / retention, and even relaxation. We constantly need to strive for what’s best for our students.

Thanks for reading!
I hope this helps :)
Have a wonderful morning.
-Brigid

Reply

michelle

3/16/2017 02:30:54 pm

I teach lower level high school geometry and I love your doodle notes idea. The problem I found was the students got overwhelmed visually by all that was on the page. Many have LD and some have visual learning issues. I think it was too much overload. Also I found that some just had a good time coloring but didn't pay attention to anything I said or anything that was written on the sheet they were decorating

Hi Michelle,
Thanks for trying it out, and for sharing your experience.
It seems like some students with LD / special ed do really well with these, but for some it can be overwhelming. I guess it can be hit or miss, depending on each group with special needs. I'm curious how they did on assessments after, because often when they are focused in on the doodling and coloring with their heads down, it feels to the teacher like they are not paying attention, but then they can surprise you when they really did absorb the auditory input and what was on the page, and you can still see that increased learning and retention in the end. Thanks, Michelle! Have a great weekend.
-Brigid

Reply

Natasha

3/16/2017 11:15:31 pm

Fascinating! After having learning styles pushed down our throats at the expense of other strategies, maybe balance is the key. I am still pondering how to effectively incorporate doodle note taking in the language classroom...any thoughts?

Hi Natasha,
Yes, it's a great strategy for any subject. Check out my post on implementing these,
http://www.mathgiraffe.com/blog/how-to-actually-use-doodle-notes-tips-for-implementation
and then if you want to make your own, be sure to grab the free handbook at doodlenoteclub.com and check out options for learning to create your own :) Thanks so much for reading and commenting!
-Brigid

A great post! I continue to read more and more about the lack of evidence for using "learning styles" in the classroom and appreciate the citation of sources in your post. A lot of time and resources are wasted on testing students to see which style they fall under. I also enjoyed the info you included on dual coding. I had not seen these two topics paired before. Thank you!

Thanks so much, Lauren!
I'd love to read the ones you have come across if you still have those article links (if not, no worries!) - I can't get enough of learning about this! It's so interesting. :)
I'm glad you found this useful, and really appreciate your comments. Thanks! Have an awesome week.
-Brigid

I started looking into learning styles after a professional development session my district hosted by a speaker from Mensa about GT student teaching. (I can't recall her name, though.) She pointed us toward two sources in particular, one is this article from the Washington Post about the confusion between Multiple Intelligences theory and learning styles. It has some interesting insight from Howard Gardner https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2013/10/16/howard-gardner-multiple-intelligences-are-not-learning-styles/?utm_term=.ab6f6ac04a2d

and we viewed this video from Prof. Daniel Willingham explaining the flaws in the idea of instructing using learning styles. You could have heard a pin drop at the end of the video! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIv9rz2NTUk

These were the two the stuck in my mind the most. I hope you enjoy them!

Lauren, you are AWESOME! Thanks so much for rounding up those links. I'm going to check them out right now. I really appreciate it! :)

Reply

Sandra

4/20/2017 01:34:08 pm

Along a similar vein is work by California neurologist turned middle school teacher , Dr. Judy Willis. She reaches much the same conclusion as Dr. Cuevas - using multiple representations of information, whether auditory, visual, or otherwise, is much more effective in creating lasting memory than using a single approach. Very interesting reading!

Thanks so much, Sandra!
I really appreciate you sharing this - I will check her out next!
Have a wonderful evening! Thanks,
-Brigid

Reply

Josh Cuevas

8/24/2017 08:20:37 pm

Here's a great video that may be helpful for teachers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=855Now8h5Rs

Reply

Christine Reese

12/1/2017 08:10:53 am

Very interesting. For several years now I haven’t taught to one or two specific learning styles, but have attacked every lesson from many angles incorporating verbal, but mostly graphic pictures to present the lesson. I enjoy using lots of color as well. I’m still missing something. I will keep investigating. Thank you for your insights and encouragements

Reply

Jennifer Olmstead

4/18/2018 05:46:30 pm

Thank you for sharing this information with us!

However, as an educator, I used materials regarding to "Learning Styles", "Brain based Learning", etc., etc., as part of my curriculum. I basically just used anything that I could "get my hands on", in order to help my 5th and 6th grade students who have Learning Disabilities! I tended to combine all of the "highly researched methods/ concepts" to help my student to learn how to become better readers, writers, and spellers!

Have you ever heard of Neuhaus Education Center? I took several workshops through them; and I learned a great deal! Especially when I took their "Scientific Spelling Workshop"! You learn how to teach your students Why words are spelled the way they are; not simply how to memorize them! See neuhaus.org and this website to find out more about their Scientific Spelling Workshops, online! https://neuhausestore.org/product/scientific-spelling---on-demand

Hi Cynthia,
Here are some research & links specific to dual coding in education and learning results:
http://www.umich.edu/~rdytolrn/pathwaysconference/presentations/paivio.pdf
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/dual-coding-theory
https://qz.com/676557/the-scientific-case-for-doodling-while-taking-notes/
https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/39941/making-learning-visible-doodling-helps-memories-stick
Thanks so much for your interest! Have a great day,
-Brigid